Sports Ministry asks N Srinivasan to step down on moral grounds

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has asked BCCI president N Srinivasan to tender his resignation on moral grounds, pending the outcome of the probe in to spot-fixing and betting allegations in the Indian Premier League.

After senior Board officials such as IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, vice-president Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia urged Srinivasan to step aside, the Ministry has also sought his ouster.

"BCCI is inquiring into allegations of match and spot fixing. As there is a conflict of interest in this inquiry, the BCCI President should tender his resignation on moral grounds, pending its outcome," the Ministry said in a statement.

Srinivasan's son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings CEO Gurunath Meiyappan has been arrested by the Mumbai Police for alleged involvement in betting.

A three-member BCCI inquiry committee is probing Meiyappan and the allegations against three Rajasthan Royals players (S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila) along with the Rajasthan and Chennai Super Kings' franchises.

The former Judge of the Karnataka and Madras High Court Justice T Jayaram Chouta, former Judge of the Madras High Court Justice R Balasubramanian and BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale are the three members of the Commission.

The Ministry said it has observed the unfolding events "with considerable disquiet" and reiterated its commitment towards a strong anti-corruption law for sports.

"The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is in favour of a law to curb malpractices in all sports. It will send its comments on the bill drafted by the Law Ministry, and is looking forward to working with the Law Ministry and other stakeholders for the development of a comprehensive law against match and spot-fixing," the statement read.

The Ministry, meanwhile, rejected reports that it was in favour of legalising betting to curb corruption in sports. (Also read: BCCI to probe Chennai Super Kings' management)

"The Ministry of Sports has also observed that a section of the media has reported that it is in favour of a law regularising betting in the sporting events in the country.

"The Ministry clarifies that betting is a State Subject and cannot be part of a Central law. The Ministry has made no recommendations to regularise betting to the Law Ministry or to any other organisation," it said.